Electronic motor control apparatus



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W. K. EQEN ELECTRONIC MOTOR CONTROL APPARATUS July sg 1949@ Film Aug. l2, 1943 m M m www w WV W y Q W..

Paumedlulyaio UNITED STATES PATENT oFF-ICE :arrasa A mnemonic no'roa oomaor. mana-ros wnusm x. umn, mummia, una., am

to Minneapolis-Honeywell Mlnnelpnlil, Minn.

Company.

Regulator ,amontlonoi'Delawale Application August 12, 1943, Serial No. 4,8531

This invention relates generally ioimprorve-- ments in control methods and means of an electrical nature and more especially to an electronic to my knowledge, been usually made manuallf,r

and is unsatisfactory in that the-aviator, on the one hand, may so adjust the oxygen controlling valve that he is supplied with moreoxysen than actually required, thus resulting in a waste, or on the otherhand and more important, he may not realize his need for additionaloxygen in time to properly adjust the valve, with' possibly ,ciisasu trous results. Y

I accomplishthis result primarily 4by employing the varying absorption of the aviators blood for red and green light, the ratio of such absorption being, aswell known in the spectrophotometric field, a direct function of the oxygen saturation oi the blood. The red light is of a wavelength such that it is absorbed essentially only by the reduced hemoglobin, or hemoglobin carrying littie if any oxygen, whereas the wavelength of the green light is such that itis absorbed by the-oxygeen saturated, as well as the reduced hemoglobin, or in other words by the hemoglobin as a whole.

The ear lobe offers probably the best point for the projection of these light rays through the blood and tissue, and the light intensity, after passing through the lobe may be expressed by the following formulae: l

For the red light (Lr)- (1) Lf= Aye.- 'c i the amount of blood in the path of thelight beam and the speciilc absorption for red light of the reduced hemoglobin; and c is the fraction of `reduced hemoglobin present. Y

And for green light (Ld- (2) L.=A.D

where I., A, and Dare all of thesame mean- .5 (Halma. (Cl. S18-28) 2 ing as Lf, Ar. and Dr, respectively. only measured with green light. Y

The fraction c of reduced hemoglobin is seen' to be usable by proper adjustments herein to be described, not onlyto indicate the requirements for the administration of oxygen but also ultimately to control the oxygen supply.

In accordance with my object, a periodically varying light beam passing through the blood is impressed upon separate photovoltaic cells covered with red and green iilters respectively thereby to be responsive'to red and green light respectively. Such cells will generate alternating signal voltages whose relative magnitude is dependent upon the value of the fraction "c of reducedl hemoglobin. The photovoltaic cells are connected to the input circuits oi a pentagrid converter or mixer tube forming the iirst stage of an electrouic amplier. The input impedances of this m multi-grid tube are suiilciently high with respect to the resistances of the cells and the light intensities have such vaines that the voltage dew veloped by each coli is a linear function of the logarithm of the light intensity. Thus, the 'input voltages can be determined by considering the logarithme or the above expressions for Le and Le. in other words, if the alternating voltage caused by the light intensityie is expressed by the term er and the alternating voltage produced by the light intensity is; by eg, the following equa,-

-tons result:

tain characteristics of the photocell.A The term a; is analogous. The terms dr and 011; are propos tional to D: and l Means are provided to cancel out the vterms a1- and ag. Then the input er will cause an ampli- (In formulas (5) and (6) g1- and gg are the am= pliiier gains. If the amplifier gains are properly adjusted. o1- can bemade equal toog so that if l the voltages are opposed to each other, the resulting voltage is equal to zero. In other words, under these conditions,

Thus, any magnitude connected with the amplithe tube to which both photovoltaic cells are connected is amplified and fed to further stages as required, but is iinally employed to actuate a servomotor controlling the oxygen supply unit.

The photovoltaic cells are so connected tothe grids of the rst multi-grid'tube that the alternating voltage signals impressed on these grids are of opposite time phase. Means are provided to cancel the factors corresponding to the terms ar and ag in Equations 1(3) and (4), and to ad- Just the ratio between the gains gr and gg. The apparatus is so adjusted that the effects of the two alternating voltage signals are cancelled out when a certain normal oxygen saturation of the blood exists. When this ratio changes, due to either an increase or decrease of the oxygen content of the blood, the alternating voltages developed by the photovoltaic cells as a result of the variation in light absorption of the blood ampliiier having a pentagrid converter or mixer tube I as its first stage. a pentode tubev Il as its second stage and a final amplifier of the twin triode variety, designated at I2, having the triodes I3 and Il. The final-.stage supplies power intermittently to one phase ora 'reversible split phase motor I5, the other phase of which is continuously supplied from an alternating current source..

The system as a whole is supplied with power from line wires 4 and 5 which lead to any suitable source of alternating current (not shown).

A primary I8 of a transformer I1 is connected to line wires I and 8. The transformer I1 has a number of secondary windings I8, I8 and 2l. Winding vIii supplies power to one phase of motor I5, winding I8 supplies power to the preliminary stages ot the amplifier through a conventional rectifier and filter system, and winding 2l supplies an alternating anode voltage for the twin triode final amplifier I2, this winding being center tapped as indicated at 2|.

under these conditions, will be reflected by the seen to control the output ofthe tube and the operation of the elements connected thereto, and it is another and important object of my invention, therefore, to provide an apparatus and method for controlling the operation of a motor, indicator, or other working element, in response to this ratio between two signals or factors, when such factors are applied to a mixer tube at separate grids thereof. The application of different signals to the control and oscillator grids of a mixer tube is known inthe art, but heretofore such signals have `been of different or beating frequencies, whereas in my invention the signals are of opposite time phase, but of the samefrequency, so that they may be bucked out at a selected ratio between their magnitudes and sov that subsequent variations intheir ratio achieve the desired results. Still another object is to provide an amplifier v will A circuit of this nature in a. simple and eiective form and embodying simple means for bucking out the energizing signals at certain levels, and compensating for minor variations in the conmated circuit elements, biasing means for estabiishing the required equilibrium in the circuit at the `selected signal ratio, and motor controlledl means for varying this bias for reestablishing this equilibrium as the lsignal ratio varies.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent in the course of the following specification, vtaken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

The drawing represents a circuit diagram embodying my invention, showing the same in its application to the control of ,the oxygen supply for an aviator, parts of the oxygen system being shown diagrammatically.

My circuit is seen torcomprise, in the exempliiication herein shown, .athree stage electronic The motor l5 has field windings 22 and 23 and a rotor 24', and the motor is, as stated, of the split phase type wherein the field windings are displaced inspace phase and wherein the difference in time phase of the currents iiowing in the windings determines the direction of rotation of rotor 20. The iield winding 22 is provided with an alternating potential of a certain phase from transformer winding I8 through circuit conduc-4 tors 25 and 28 with a condenser 21 interposed in the conductor 25. The conductor 25, connected with the common terminal 28 ofthe motor wind4 ings. is also connected by conductor` 29 to the cathode 30 of the final amplifier tube I2.

The condenser 21 forms, with field winding 22 yapproximately a series resonant circuit the char-v acteristics of which causes the current flowing in winding 22 to be in time phase with reference to the terminal voltage oi' transformerwinding Il; and due to the inductance in the winding vthe voltage across the field winding leads the terminal voltage of the transformer by approximately ninety electrical degrees.

The eld winding 23 receives current chiefly (some being supplied by induction from winding 22 when the motor is running) from the out-. put of the final amplifier tube I2 through common conductor l29' and terminal 28 and through a conductor 3| leading to the center tap 2| of transformer winding 20. A condenser 32 is connected across the field winding`23 and the purpose of this condenser is primarily to suppress harmonics and to bring the voltage across winding 23 in the proper phase relation to the voltageacross wind- '1g 22. Conductors 33 and M connect the respec tive ends of the transformer winding 20 to the anodes as and :s of the twin triodes n and I4', completing this part of the circuit, it being understood of course that the circuit from anodes to r:athode 30 is completed through center tap 2l, conductor 3I,iield winding 23, terminal 28 an conductor 23 as may be readily traced. f The control grids 31 and 38 of the triodes are tied or brought together as represented at 33:

. Now as the transformer winding supplies the alternating anode voltage to this tube the result, without excitation at the grids, will be little aiternating current flow in the field winding 23 since tential on one of the trlodes, then a voltage will be developed at that phase in the motor field winding 23. Since the voltage across the other field winding 22 is, as heretofore stated, ninety electrical degrees out of phase with the terminal voltage of the transformer, then necessarily it will either lead or lag the current in winding 23 by this amount causing motor rotation. The direction of such rotation will depend on the phase relation of the exciting signal potential to that of the voltages applied to the anode circuits of the respective trlodes I3 and I4, as should be readily understood.

This type of amplifier and servo-motor system is analyzed and described in' greater detail in the copending application of Albert P. Upton, Serial No. 437,561 filed April 3, 1942, now matured into Patent No. 2,423,534 issued July 8, 194'1, assigned to the assignee of this application.

This final amplifier-motor circuit is driven by the preliminary amplifier made up of the tubes lll and now to be described, and which preliminary amplifier is herein shown as energized from two photovoltaic cells 4|l-4I so connected as to supply alternating signal voltages approximately one hundred eighty electrical -degrees out of phase but of the same frequency to the control grid 42 and oscillator grid 43, respectively, of the pentagrid converter tube I9. The conductor 44 connesting the cells leads to the common conductor or negative lead 45 to which the cathode 46 of tube lll ls also connected. The circuit from photovoltaic cell 40 to control grid 42 includes a potentiometer 48, across which appears a direct current bias here shown as derived from a battery 49. One terminal of the potentiometer 48 is connected to photovoltaic cell 46 while the slider 50 is connected, as indicated at to one terminalof a second potentiometer 52, the slider 53 of which then is connected to the grid. Connected across the potentiometer 52 is a source of an alternating bucking potential which is shown, for convenience sake, as a transformer 54. `The circuit from photovoltaic cell 4| to the oscillator grid 43 is formed by a conductor 55 connected between the cell and one terminal of a third potentiometer 56, the slider 51 of which then is connected to the grid. A transformer 58 is here again indicated as connected with its output across the potentiometer 56 to supply an alternating bucking voltage. The primary windings of transformers 54 and 58 are connected through conductors 6, 1, 8, and 9 to line wires 4 and 5.l

Alamp 59 supplied from a suitable alternating current source is arranged to direct a beam of light upon the -photovoltaic cells 40 and 4| through the ear lobe indicated at 66, and through red and green filters 6| and 62 with which the cells are respectively covered. The cells are thus affected only by light of red and green wavelengths, respectively forming part of the spectrum of the beam from lamp 59. Either the alternating current source to which the lamp 59 is connected should be of half the frequency of the source to which the primary winding I6 and transformers 54 and 58 are connected or a suitable constant source of voltage should be connected to the lamp 59 in series with the alternating source so that at no time-is the lamp completely extinguished. The latter method is preferable in insuring a constant phase relationship between the lamp energizing voltage and the voltage suppliedto winding 22 of motor'l5. In the drawing the lamp is shown as connected in series with a battery 91 to the secondary 99 of a transformer |63. Primary winding I||| of transformer |90 is connected by conductors |02 and 8, 9, and |63 to line wires 4 and 6. When the lamp 59 is energized in this manner, the effect of the light on the photovoltaiccells is to cause them to generate alternating voltages of the same frequency as that of the source to which primary winding I6 is connected.

I'hey anode 63 of tube I6 is supplied with a direct current potential by the rectifier and filter unit 64 which is itself supplied from the transformer winding I9, this circuit including the conductor 66, load resistor 66 and anode lead 61. A conductor 68 from the unit 64 to the common lead 46 completes the circuit from anode to cathode as will be apparent. The screen grid structure 69 of the tube I0 is connected by a lead 10 and resistor 1| to the direct current source 64` and is connected through condenser 12 to cathode so that the screen is maintained at the same alternating current potential as the cathode. The suppressor grid 98 is connected in the conventional manner to the -cathode 46.

The output of tube |0 is led to the control grid 13 of the pentode tube through a block- 'ing and coupling condenser 14 connected to the anode conductor 61 and leading through conductor 15 to the grid 13. The circuit from the grid 13 to cathode 11 includes a resistor 16 connected from the grid to the common or negative lead 45. The anode 18 of tube |I is connected through conductor 19, plate load resistor 80 and conductor 8| to the conductor 65 carrying the direct current potential while the screen grid 82 oi the tube is connected through lead 83 and dropping resistor 84 to the same supply. This screen grid is held at the same alternating potential as the cathode by the conventionally arranged bypass condenser 85. connected, as normal, to cathode 11.

The output circuit of tube I is coupled through a blocking condenser 86 to the common connection 39 of the grids of the final amplifier tube I2 while the input circuit for this tube is completed by means of a resistor 89 leading to the cathode 36 through the common lead 45, to which the cathode is connected as shown at 90.

Obviously, one or more additional stages of ampliiication might be embodied between the first and final stages of the circuit where the amplitude of the signals being handled requires greater amplification.

The motor is shown as having its rotor 24 connected through a gear train 9| with the slider 50 of the bias adjusting potentiometer 48 and also, as one example of its use, the motor is shown as connected through a pinion and rack mechanism 92 with a valve 93 so that the valve will be opened and closed, according to the direction of motor rotation. The valve 93 is arranged in the line 94 between the oxygen supply tank 95 and the oxygen mask 96, to control the fiow of oxygen to the latter.

In operation, the alternating signal voltages developed by the photovoltaic cells 40 and 4| which are approximately one hundred eighty electrical degrees out of phase, are impressed, respectively, on the control and oscillator grids 42 and 43 of the pentagrid tube l0, causing an alternating potential in the output circuit of that tube. The time phase relation of this output alternating voltage depends on the ratio between the input signals, and is amplified by the pentode tube and appears at the grids 31--38 of the final The suppressor grid 99 is nitude.

amplifier tube I2 where it causes the rotation of the motor I5 in a direction dependent on the phase of the signal of greater or increased mag- The rotation of motor I5 adjusts the slider 50 oi the potentiometer 48 which varies the effective D. C. bias on the control grid 42 of the pentagrid tube. The amount of D. C. bias that is applied to grid 42 determines the portion of the tube characteristic curve over which the tube will operate and hence the effect that a given 'variation in the voltage applied to grid 42 will have on the output current of the tube. In other words, this bias determines the gain corresponding to the' term gr in Equation (5). At a certain value of this bias, the control grid alternating signal voltage obviously will have exactly the same amount f of influence upon the anode current of the tube as does the alternating signal voltage at the oscillator grid 43, and the two influences will substantially balance out each other so that no alternating current will flow in the 'output circuit of the tube. When this condition is reached there will,

of course, be no current flowing in the field winding 23 of the motor and the motor will not rotate. A condition of equilibrium will thus be established in the circuit. However, if the ratio between the alternating signal voltages at the grids 42 and 43 is varied, the bias thus established by the potentiometer 48 will be either too high or too low, depending on which signal increases in mag- Iiitude, and this equilibrium will be destroyed so that one grid will have more influence than the other and an alternating potential will appear in the anode circuit. The phase of this signal voltage will depend directly on the phase of the signal increasing in magnitude and the motor I5 will rotate in the proper direction to again regulate the bias to the new ratio between signals, reestablishing the equilibrium. Such equilibrium will not be affected except by a change in the ratio of the magnitude of the signals applied to the grids 42 and 43, the increase in both signals by the same factor not having any effect since the ratio remains constant in such case.

' Since, as has been described, the absorption of the red and green light rays by the blood is at a ratio which is a direct function of the oxygen content of the blood, the signal voltages generated by the photovoltaic cells 40 and 4| will vary strictly in accordance with the changes-in such light absorption. The resulting alternating voltages applied to the grids of the tube I0, being opposite in phase and varying in ratio as the blood condition changes, the motor I5 will be rotated in the proper direction to adjust the valve 93 and open or close the same as required to adjust the rate of oxygen flow to the mask 96 according to requirements. At the same time the potentiometer 48 is adjusted to bring the circuit to a new equilibrium causing the motor to stop and the valve to remain inthe position to which it has been moved until the oxygen saturation of the blood returns tonormal. There results, of course, a more or less constant adjustment of the valve in accordance with the changing requirements for oxygen and without any attention whatever on the part of the aviator.

The alternating potentials supplied to the grids 42 and 43 by the transformers 54 and 58, and controlled by the potentiometers 52 and 56, are required in order to cancel out components of the signals which are more or less constant and which if not canceled out would prevent the input voltages being directly related to the fraction of total hemoglobin which is in the reduced state. In

8 other words, these alternating potentials are employed to cancel out the factor corresponding to terms ar and ag in Equations (3) and (4).

Primarily, my invention is seen to comprise a method and means for electronically regulating or measuring the difference between two signals of opposite time phase but of the same frequency, or utilizing the changing ratio between such signals to control a pentagrid tube and provide actuating voltages as such ratio varies. Obviously, therefore, the invention will find uses other than that herein specifically set forth, such as for measuring purposes, for indicating the ratio between two factors or magnitudes, and the direction in which such ratio may vary, or as a control for a motor or suitable relays for doing work oi' various kinds.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

i. An apparatus for controlling a motor of the type responsive to energization by alternating currents of opposite time phase which control its direction of rotation, comprising the combination of an electronic amplifier including a pentagrid mixer tube having its control and oscillator grids excited by alternating control signals of variable amplitudes and opposite time phase, means whereby changes in the ratio between the amplitudes of the respective signals appearing at the grids will be reflected by alternating currents in the output of the amplifier of time phase re lation to the signals, means for bucking out variable factors in the signals appearing at the grids, and the said output of the amplifier beingr connected to supply said alternating currents to' the motor.

2. In combination, an electron discharge device having an anode and a cathode connected in an output circuit of said discharge device and a pair of control electrodes associated with said anode and cathode and both controlling the current flow between said cathode and anode, each control electrode being connected into a different input circuit of said discharge device, means for continually supplying to said input circuits alternating voltages relatively variable in magnitude and opposite in phase, means for applying a bias to one of said' control electrodes to cause the control electrodes to have an equal but opposite effect upon the anode current at a predetermined ratio of said alternating voltage, an alternating current emergized motor to be controlled in accordance with the relative values of said alternating voltages, and means associated with said output circuit for controlling the energization of said motor in accordance with the' relative opposing effects of the voltages applied to said input circuits.

3. In combination, an electron discharge clevice having an anode and a cathode connected in an output circuit of said discharge device and a pair of control electrodes associated with saidl anode andcathode and both controlling the current flow between said cathode and anode, each control electrode being connected into a different input circuit of said discharge device, means for continually supplying to each of said input circuits alternating voltages relatively variable in magnitude and opposite in phase, means for applying a bias to one of said control electrodesv to cause the control electrodes to have an equal but opposite effect upon the anode current at a predetermined ratio of said alternating voltages, an alternating current energized motor to be con-l trolled in accordance with the relative values of said alternating voltages, means associated with said output circuit for controlling the energization of said motor in accordance with the relative opposing effects of the voltages applied to said input circuits, and means positioned by said motor for adjusting said biasing m'eans until the eiect of the electrodes is equal.

4. In combination, anv electron discharge device having an anode and a cathode connected in an output circuit oi said .discharge device and a pair of control electrodes associated with said anode and cathode and both controlling the current iigw between said cathode and anode, each control electrode being connected into a different input circuit of said discharge device, means for continually supplying to said input circuits alternating voltages relatively variable in magnitude and opposite in phase, means associated with each input circuit for automatically varying the magnitude and phase of the alternating voltage supplied to the input circuit in accordance with the value of a physical condition, means for applying a bias to one of said control electrodes to cause the control electrodes to have an equal but opposite effect upon the anode current at a predetermined ratio of said alternating voltages.

an electric motor to be controlled in accordanceA with the relative values oi said alternating voltages, and means associated with said output circuit for controlling the energization of. said motor in accordance with the relative opposing eects of thevoltages applied to said input circuits.

5. In combination, an electron discharge device having an anode and a cathode connected in an output circuit of said discharge device and a pair of control electrodes associated Vwith said anode and cathode and both controlling the current flow between said cathode and anode,

each control electrode being connected into a "o means for continually supplying to each of said` input circuits alternating voltages relatively variable in magnitude-and vopposite in phase, means associated with each input circuit for automatically varying the magnitude and phase of the alternating voltage supplied to the input circuit in accordance with the value of a physical condition, means for applying sa bias to one of said control electrodes to cause the control electrodes to have an equal but opposite effect upon the anode current at a predetermined ratio of said alternating voltages', an electric motor to be controlled in accordance with the relative values of said alternating voltages, means associated with said output circuit for controlling the energization of said motor in accordance with the relative opposing effects of the voltages applied to said input circuits, and means positioned by said motor for adjusting said biasing means until the effect of the electrodes is equal.

WILLIAM K. ERGEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenices are of record in the ule 'of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,388,769 Shaier Nov. 13, 1945 

